Difficult Times Have Silver Linings

The pendulum of life oscillates between fleeting moments of joy and seemingly longer periods of pain. This appears to be the reality of life for most of us, despite our best efforts to create happy and calm lives. We believe that things will never improve for us. However, upon reflection, we find that periods of difficulty often have a silver lining. There are times when we are suffering or maybe our family and friends are suffering, so we feel their pain. We may have financial hardships. Those periods are terribly painful. Sometimes, we encounter multiple problems at once. We wonder if God will ever give us a break.


Yet, what we may not realise is that many of these events are due to something we did in the past. The third law of physics, which states that every action has an equal and opposite reaction, is at work. Whatever actions we took caused reactions. It could be a reaction to something we thought, said, or did in the past. While it is painful and we suffer, we should recognise that it is a debt we owe that must be repaid. We may have done something to someone in the past, and we must later face the consequences of our actions. But even though we have passed through rough times, they do not last forever. There are also sunny days ahead for us.


A sunny day arrives at a time when, once that debt is paid, we are free of it. The weight that covers our soul and keeps us tied to this physical realm begins to lift. We are then lighter and can soar higher. Like a hot-air balloon weighted down with sandbags, when we toss out those weights, the balloon can lift off to soar. Our load is lightened, and we can experience more inner progress free of those burdens. We can learn how to lead our lives to make spiritual progress . We can lead our lives in a way that we are conscious of our thoughts, words, and deeds.


When we realise that life brings rainy days and sunny days and that there is a purpose for what happens to us, life becomes calmer and more peaceful. We can learn how to stay at an even keel, whether we are passing through stormy or sunny days of life, by finding a calm centre. We can reach this still point through meditation. Within us are all the riches of divinity. We are not just the body and mind, but the soul. The soul is filled with light, love, and joy. It relates to the Source of divinity, creative Power, which is also light, love, and joy. The creative Power and soul are made of the same essence. If we spend some time daily in the silence of our souls, we will be connected to a place of bliss. Then, the outer circumstances of our life will not affect us. We will not be affected by temporary phases of life. We can learn to find a still centre filled with peace and balance, which will provide us with permanent happiness despite outer variations of life.


What we take as setbacks and problems may also result in things working out for the better. We often discover that it was rainy days that brought us bouquets of flowers. There are several areas in which we may have felt we were going through dark times. In each of those times, it appeared as if our suffering would never end. However, ultimately, those times may have led to a breakthrough, allowing us to pass through them and once again experience joy in our lives.


Authored by: Sant Rajinder Singh